Muscles Remember What the Mind Forgets

For anyone who wishes to start a fitness program, here’s something to remember: Your movement is recorded in your body AKA ‘muscle memory’.

Yes, you heard correctly…

Perhaps you knew that – or maybe you forgot – but movements from your entire life are filed away in your connective tissue.

Let that be a comfort as you begin a fitness program. Maybe you haven’t exercised for many years, but you were an athlete in high school.

As you rev up your exercise program, the muscles and the synapses that trigger them will spring back to life: Aha! A brisk walk! Leg activation. Arm-swinging. Balance. Posture. I remember that!

You might not run the five-minute mile and please, don’t try.

Start slowly. Muscle memory is powerful, but give it the help it needs and build your strength little by little. The rewards of rebooting the dark corners of muscle memory are many.

Studies show more than half of the US population takes at least one prescription drug. Meanwhile, researchers agree that for many conditions, Exercise is the No. 1 treatment. How about Doctors handing out prescriptions to walk?

Whether it’s walking, gardening, or training to run a half-marathon, the key to any successful exercise program is to enjoy it. Maybe you’ve never worked out. Maybe you think you’re over the hill. I don’t buy it, and neither does your muscle memory. Our bodies are designed to move!

I have the privilege of working with adults who are 65 and older.

In that capacity, I have inspired many seniors to rediscover their muscle memory and to open pathways to activities they used to enjoy. Through guided imagery, brain exercises, grounding techniques, and concentration, seniors can activate muscles they hardly ever use.

The end result is a heightened sense of confidence, strength, balance, and awareness. All this carries from the exercise studio right into daily life AKA Functional Exercise.

That’s something your muscles, your mind, and your spirit won’t forget.

Go on… walk right up to that filing cabinet of all the movement you’ve ever done ~ take out a file and check it out!

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#Exercise #exercise program #fitness motivation #workout

About
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Ann Heizer

Creator and Owner at Grounded XTTM Cross Training the Nooks and Crannies

With over 30 years of experience as a group fitness and personal training expert, Ann merges her passion for teaching older adults and athletes alike, combining balance, strength, flexibility, cardiovascular exercise, and brain fitness to the routines she teaches. In addition to training, Ann has been working with a group of senior citizens to further develop her program, Grounded XTTM Cross Training the Nooks and Crannies, since 2004 and is excited to share what she has learned in 12 years.